Computer, internet and telecommunications based network

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for a computer and telecommunication network which can receive, send and manage information from or to a subscriber of the network, based on the subscriber&#39;s configuration. The network is made up of at least one cluster containing voice servers which allow for telephony, speech recognition, text-to-speech and conferencing functions, and is accessible by the subscriber through standard telephone connections or through internet connections. The network also utilizes a database and file server allowing the subscriber to maintain and manage certain contact lists and administrative information. A web server is also connected to the cluster thereby allowing access to all functions through internet connections.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is continuation of application Ser. No. 13/944,732,entitled, “Computer, Internet and Telecommunications Based Network,”filed Jul. 17, 2013, which is a continuation of application Ser. No.13/784,779, entitled, “Computer, Internet and Telecommunications BasedNetwork,” filed Mar. 4, 2013, which is a continuation of applicationSer. No. 13/350,712, entitled “Computer, Internet and TelecommunicationsBased Network”, filed Jan. 13, 2012, which is a continuation ofapplication Ser. No. 12/697,869, entitled “Computer, Internet andTelecommunications Based Network”, filed Feb. 1, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No.8,098,600, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/877,366,entitled “Computer, Internet and Telecommunications Based Network”,filed Jun. 25, 2004, now abandoned, which is a continuation applicationof application Ser. No. 09/033,335, entitled “Computer, Internet andTelecommunications Based Network”, filed Mar. 2, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No.6,775,264, which claims priority to Application Ser. No. 60/040,056,entitled “Network and Voice Controlled Telephony Systems,” filed Mar. 3,1997, and assigned to the assignee of the present application. Thesubject matter in the above-identified co-pending and commonly ownedapplications is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a telecommunication system, and morespecifically, the present invention relates to a network system based oninternet, computer and telecommunication standards, utilizing internetand computer technology, a graphical user interface, integratedtelecommunication applications and interactive voice recognitiontechnology, facilitating the computation and telecommunication of voiceand electronic data.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Individuals and business people seek to communicate with each other,obtain useful information, interact commercially and entertainthemselves in an increasingly mobile society. In order to fulfill theseneeds, one requires the ability to send and receive messages, accessinformation and entertainment, conduct business transactions, organizedaily schedules and stay in touch with homes and offices from almostanywhere, at any time, as easily as making a telephone call.

Continued demand for products and services that address these needs isevidenced by the increasing number of electronic devices, and theexplosive growth of the internet and network services. Advances inwireless telecommunication technologies led to the development of suchdevices as personal digital assistants, and enabled the growth of pagingand cellular telephone networks. Devices such as notebook andsub-notebook computers with modems (both wireline and wireless) haveallowed mobile professionals to connect to their PCs from almost anylocation, as well as to access on-line information and electronic mailservices while traveling worldwide.

In addition, communication and information needs have stimulated thegrowth of the internet, on-line networks and corporate intranets. Thesenetworks now host a variety of services such as e-mail, databasesearching, conferencing, electronic commerce, games, software librariesand electronic newspapers and magazines. However, despite theproliferation of communication devices and the development of theinternet, on-line networks and corporate intranets, significant barriersremain to fulfilling user needs for access to and management ofpersonal, professional and public information.

The hardware designs and software technologies which enable today'scommunication are complex. Information, though widely available, can beeither inaccessible or accessible only by navigating through a host ofphone systems, operating system platforms, databases and networks. As aresult significant amounts of time and effort are required of those whouse and depend on these devices, networks and services to communicateand obtain information.

The problem of accessing and processing all of the information availablefrom communication devices, networks and services is particularly acutefor mobile business professionals. Today's mobile professional, workingout of the home or small office, may have a cellular phone, a pager, acomputer, a fax machine, an electronic mailbox on the Internet, and avoice-mail service. Whether on the road, in a plane or at the office,success for the mobile professional depends in large part on the abilityto easily and quickly access, sort through and respond to the messagesdelivered to each of these communication devices, and to obtaininformation necessary to the conduct of business from proliferatingnetworks and services.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a network system, which is based on internet,computing and telecommunications standards, utilizing computer andinternet technology, an innovative graphical user interface, integratedcommunication applications and interactive voice recognition technology.The present invention is a unified messaging service which will beaccessible from any standard communication device (telephone, computeror internet), and will give the user intuitive voice command ofpersonal, professional and public information.

This unified messaging service is a useful tool to those whose time andresources are limited and for whom communication is critical, such asmobile business professionals in the small office, home office market.The mobile business professional must maintain access to personal andprofessional information and developments, respond to customers andcommunicate with colleagues, family and friends at any time and from anylocation. The unified messaging service is designed to meet theseobjectives by offering a single point of access to all communications,integrated with personal information management tools and customizedpublic content delivery.

Small office, home office professionals, most of whom do not have accessto dedicated information management systems or the benefit ofadministrative support staff, may derive unique value from this sharednetwork solution.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the invention are explained below withreferences to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of the hardware platform embodyingthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the internet platform embodyingthe present invention;

FIG. 3 is a general application flow chart embodying the presentinvention; and

FIG. 4A-4R are detailed application flow charts embodying the presentinvention.

FIG. 5A-5B are the functional block diagrams for the computer telephonyplatform and network architecture embodying the present invention.

FIG. 6 is the software architecture embodying the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a network system that works, among otherthings, as your voice-mail system, using an 800/888 number that receivesall your calls, faxes, pages and e-mail. The system provides a contactdatabase facilitating the placing of calls, screening of calls, andtracking you down wherever you are.

Regardless of how the message was transmitted, every message isdelivered to you through a single source, whether telephone, internet orcomputer. You can also review your latest call records and billinginformation and change or add to your phone listings, contact numbersand service preferences through this source.

The present invention utilizes a fault resilient redundant system,residing in two separate sites. There are multiple T-3 (45 Mbps)facilities going into each of those sites. Both sites sit on afiber-channel fiber optic loop, which is theoretically “self healing” incase of a disaster and can route a phone call to either facility,depending on where the route is broken.

The configuration at each site is a cluster of servers. FIG. 1 is ablock diagram of the hardware platform showing one of these clusters 10which consists of some voice servers 12, some mirrored Sybase databaseservers 14, and some web servers 16 where the web access and servicesare located. The computers (not shown) are 200 MHz Intel-based 19″rackmount servers running a combination of Solaris and SCO UNIXoperating systems. The voice server 12 includes certain functions, suchas telephony, automatic speech recognition, text-to-speech,conferencing, etc. Subscribers are connected to these clusters by eithernormal telephone connections or by internet connections.

Each cluster can serve about 10,000 customers. The system is open-endedallowing for the addition of subscribers as needed. Further the designfacilitates the easy addition of hardware and software.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the internet platform. The system may beaccessed via the internet instead of a normal telephone connection(voice or touchtone). The subscriber can access the web server 18through an internet firewall 20. The subscriber merely enters thesystem's web site and then can access his account through a securityprogram. Once in his account, the subscriber can access various featuressuch as playing voice mail, reading e-mail and faxes, managing contactsand schedules, among other services. Further, the system can provide aprivate line 22 for corporate and other subscribers which can enter theweb server 18 through an extranet firewall 24.

FIG. 3 shows a general application flow chart for an incoming call 26 tothe system. The incoming call 26 whether by telephone connection orinternet connection is directed either to customer service 28 (throughan automatic call distribution-ACD), fax 30, call routing 32, orconference 34 function. Call routing 32 is determined by the incomingcall control 38, previously set by the subscriber, and can include amessage and notification to the subscriber, call screening, callwaiting, and the transfer of the call. Further, if the incoming call 26is a subscriber 36, the system will provide additional functions to thesubscriber, such as controlling incoming calls 38, including callscreening, call waiting and transferring calls. The subscriber may setpriorities to certain callers allowing only certain callers to reach thesubscriber while all others are sent to voice-mail to record a messagefor playback later.

Also, the subscriber will be able to manage 40 his account. Managing 40includes setting the options for telephone calls 42, setting the optionsfor sending and receiving messages, faxes and e-mail 44, managing thedatabase containing the subscriber's contacts and other lists 46, andsetting the parameters for outgoing call and setting up conferences 48.

FIGS. 4A through 4R show a more detailed flowchart of the presentinvention. FIG. 4A shows the First Menu encountered by a subscriber oran individual calling the system's 800 telephone number. The caller isexplained the different options and then the system, if requested,attempts to recognize the subscriber or party's name or extension thatthe caller is trying to reach.

FIG. 4B shows the Party Menu which allows the caller to begin thetransfer to the party hr is trying to reach, leave a message, or, if thecaller is a subscriber, open his mailbox. FIG. 4C shows the Mailbox Menuwhich allows the subscriber to listen to his messages, leave a message,make a call (using the database), dial a telephone number, request thesystem to follow the subscriber, transfer calls, and set other personaloptions, including the greeting, security codes, etc.

FIG. 4D shows the Listen to Messages Menu which allows the subscriber tolisten to, forward, or return the message, along with other options suchas adding a contact, etc. FIG. 4E shows the Message Menu such asforwarding the message, providing caller identification information, andupdating the contact database.

FIG. 4F shows the Return a Call Menu which will attempt to use calleridentification to return the call.

FIG. 4G shows the Leave a Message Menu which allows the caller to leavea message to the intended party. FIG. 4H shows the After Record MessageMenu which allows the caller to listen to the message, re-record themessage, send the message, or cancel the message. FIG. 4I shows the MakeCall Menu which allows the subscriber to dial a number, cancel, orattempt to obtain a contact and transfer to that contact.

FIG. 4J shows the Dial a Number Menu which allows the subscriber to diala telephone number. FIG. 4K is the Call Transfers Menu which allows thesubscriber to transfer incoming calls to either his calleridentification, a telephone number, or some other number of choice. FIG.4L is the Follow Me Menu which allows the subscriber to receive callswherever he may be located. FIG. 4M shows the Notification Menu whichallows the subscriber to be notified either by pager or e-mail incertain situations. FIG. 4N shows the Telephone Numbers Menu whichallows the subscriber to dial a telephone number either by depressingthe telephone keypad or speaking the number.

FIG. 4O shows the Record a New Greeting Menu which allows the subscriberto record, listen, or re-record a greeting which a caller will hear uponreaching the subscriber. FIG. 4P shows the Name Recording Menu whichallows the subscriber to set a particular name in the system. FIG. 4Qshows the Personal Options Menu which allows the subscriber to changethe security code, the name recording, and the personal greeting. FIG.4R shows the Set Security Code Menu which allows the subscriber to set anew security code.

FIG. 5A shows the computer telephony platform in accordance with FIG. 1in more detail. FIG. 5B shows the network architecture in accordancewith FIG. 2 in more detail. FIG. 6 shows the software architectureutilized in the present invention.

The system provides three ways for the subscriber to handle hiscommunications. First and foremost is the voice recognition softwareusing natural voice recognition (phonemes based), not pattern based asmany of the current systems utilize. Therefore, the system does not haveto be trained to identify your voice. Second, the subscriber may use thestandard telephone touchtones. And third, the subscriber can utilize theinternet to access a secure web site.

The system can act as a “follow me” service, capable of tracking youdown whether you're at home, the office, airport, in a hotel room, inanother office or in your car. The subscriber can configure the systemto follow him, or the subscriber can disengage the follow me with asimple command. It also lets you know who is calling before you acceptthe call.

As for Web connections, you can boot up your computer, sign onto theinternet, go through the system's secure web site and play your voicemails, read your e-mail and faxes, manage your contacts and scheduleconferences. The website thus becomes a unified-messaging system. If youget a message from somebody who's not in your address book and you wantto call him or her, you just go to the web site again and add a contact.

If you're on the secure website and you walk away, the system even timesout after a few minutes so no one can sit at your computer and obtainyour messages and contacts without your permission.

While on the system's web site, you'll be communicating over theinternet via the Secure Socket Layer (SSL), a transport level technology(developed by Netscape) for authentication and data encryption between aWeb server and a Web browser. SSL sends data over a “socket,” a securechannel at the connection layer existing in most TCP/IP applications.

The system also utilizes text-to-speech so you can listen to your e-mailover the phone, or the subscriber can display his e-mail on his computerwhere he can reply to it and send e-mail to his contacts with audio(using audio attachments). Further, using Vosaic's internet audioprogram, the system can deliver voice mail via streaming audio over theinternet using Java without a plug-in.

During a session on the web site, using text-to-speech, you could typein a name like “Harry Newton” and his phone number so that, when youeventually use the system the phone and you say, “call Harry Newton atthe office,” the system will recognize the name and dial the number youkeyed in previously. Based on what you input now (“Harry Newton”) iswhat the system utters later and compares the phonemes of what you inputnow to what you'll be speaking later.

The system also facilitates conference calls by allowing the subscribertwo ways in which to set up a conference call. First, inbound conferencecalls can be set up for 32 people if you've registered a pre-scheduledmeeting time. Subscribers call in to the system to get an assignedconference number. The conference participants then call in and asks to“join the conference”. The system then asks for a conference number,which is entered via touchtones. All the parties are then connected andthe conference begins.

Second, outbound conference calls can also be set up, even if you're “onthe fly.” Whether you're at your desk, at a hotel or even a phone booth,you can simply dial up and tell the system to “set up a conferencecall.” Then you only have to dial up all the various parties to connecteach of them to your conference.

The present invention is a compilation of hardware and software,including voice processing using Dialogic's SCSA extended bus andboard-level resources, Purespeech speech recognition running on DialogicAntares boards, and database management using Sybase System 10 and 11.Further, the system utilizes data networking, particularly TCP/IP anddistributed systems, object-oriented design and programming,multi-processing with Intel hardware, SCO UNIX and Solaris operationsystems, Java and JavaScript languages, US and international longdistance protocols, internet and web protocols, credit and paymentprocessing, a help desk, customer service system, and network andservice management.

For the voice and fax processing servers, the system relies on Dialogichardware, including, voice boards, Antares cards (for speech recognitionand fax) and digital switching cards. The system also uses the SCSAextended bus. The Purespeech ASR algorithms, which are used for speechrecognition, run on the Antares cards plugged into the computers runningthe Solaris OS.

The system combines state-of-the-art speech recognition, computer andtelephony technology. Along with the ability to recognize an extensiveset of simple, intuitive, speaker-independent speech commands andrespond by performing a wide variety of complex tasks. Each subscriberhas their own secure Web page on which all the features can be accessed,allowing almost every aspect of the present invention to be maintainedon-line.

Subscribers can use voice commands to (i) build, edit and manage theircontact lists, (ii) review, play back, read, reply to and/or reroutevoice mail and e-mail, (iii) schedule conference calls with 800 numberaccess, and (iv) maintain an itemized calling log listing all calls witha running total of all charges.

The system also transfers calls as instructed or upon command willfollow the subscriber according to predetermined contact numbers foroffice, home, cellular, pager or other designated locations. Every timea subscriber calls in, the system logs the originating number for theinbound call and then uses that number to re-contact the subscriber.

In accordance with the present invention, every subscriber orparticipant is given their own 800 number that is then used by allcontacts calling in to the subscriber. The 800 number can also be usedin scheduling conference calls for up to 32 participants on a given dayand time. Each participant uses the 800 number and calls in to join theconference call, thereby effecting call conferencing for a fraction ofthe cost otherwise incurred.

Basically, the system provides a unified solution to the many variedcommunications and messaging devices used daily by mobile professionalsand active consumers. With simple voice commands, subscribers can easilyaccess and respond to all of their communications and messaging media inthe same session.

The system takes inbound calls and contacts the subscriber, using calltransfer or follow me features, and advises the subscriber of the call,the number of the calling party and/or the callers identity from thesubscribers contact list. If the subscriber is on the telephone, thesystem will whisper the pending call information, giving the subscriberthe option of taking the call or sending the caller into voice mail. Thesubscriber can also set priorities for certain calls which the systemwill follow, permitting selected calls to be put on call waiting,transferred or directed through call forwarding, while other calls aredirect to voice mail messaging. Subscribers can conveniently make callsfrom their contact list by voice commands giving the contacts name and,if applicable, the location to be called (i.e. “home,” “office,”“cellular,” etc.)

Subscribers can access and play back their voice mail from any telephoneor from their personal Web page. Voice mail messages can be saved,retrieved, deleted or rerouted to other individuals, groups or broadcastand voice responses can be returned immediately to the caller. Also,e-mail messages can be viewed on the subscriber's personal home page orthe system will read the e-mail to the subscriber from any telephoneusing text-to-speech technology. Subscribers can immediately respond toe-mail with voice messages, marking, saving or deleting messages duringthe same session. E-mail messages can also be sent to any fax machine.Further, subscribers can immediately respond to faxes rather thanwaiting to retrieve copies and delay responses. Incoming faxes arereceived, the subscriber is notified of the arrival of the new fax, thefax can then be stored for later viewing and/or redirected to any faxmachine or e-mail address from the subscribers contact list or any othernumber. Subscribers can also be notified of any incoming communicationsand messages by pager, whether an inbound call, voice mail, e-mail orfax.

The system will automate conference calling and eliminate the need forconference call operators or complex, confusing PBX systems. Thesubscriber remains in control and can add or drop callers, mute the calland otherwise control all aspects of the conference call. Bypre-scheduling conference calls by date and time, subscribers can notifyparticipants, giving them an 800 number to call and join the conference.Up to 32 participants can be included in the present conference callfeature.

The system further acts as an efficient secretary retaining completecontact logs of all call statistics. The subscriber maintains thecontact list using simple voice or keyboard commands and can establishcontact groups for broadcast communications and setting up conferencecalls. The contact database is easily accessible to all features.

The system includes a feature which enables subscribers to retrieve ondemand or at predetermined intervals selected information from theinternet or on-line service providers, allowing subscribers to establish“filter and forward” criteria specifying the type of informationdesired. A search engine will then retrieve the requested information,transmit the information to the system platform and notify thesubscriber by page, telephone or other desired means. The system willprovide direct access to news, weather, sports, financial, travel andother custom content directly from a computer or any telephone. Thesubscriber will then access the information by all available options,including text-to-speech capabilities.

The system provides long distance and international calling over theinternet through the subscriber's personal home page, therebysignificantly reducing the costs of long distance and internationalcalling. The system further provides video conferencing features.

It is to be understood that the form of this invention is merely apreferred embodiment. Various changes may be made in the function andarrangement of parts; equivalent means may be substituted for thoseillustrated and described; and certain features may be usedindependently from others without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A unified-messaging network for managing, sendingand receiving user-level messages relating to a first user of theunified-messaging network, said unified-messaging network utilizing bothat least one telephone connection and at least one internet connection,said user-level messages sent to and received from a plurality ofcommunication networks employing a plurality of communication protocols,comprising: a first-voice server in a first cluster of voice servers,said first-voice server comprising: telephony hardware coupling said atleast one telephone connection to at least one application with a firstcapability to identify one or more user events based on user input froman electronic device of the first user passed through said at least onetelephone connection, said at least one application having a secondcapability to create and to transmit a plurality of telephony-relatednetwork messages to at least one of a plurality of second servers; aninternet-connection interface for establishing an internet connectionand including a third capability to create and to transmit a pluralityof internet-related network messages to at least one other server of theplurality of second servers; and a cluster-switching andresource-allocation device coupled to said telephony hardware and saidinternet-connection interface, said cluster-switching andresource-allocation device including a first computing capability toprocess said telephony-related network messages and saidinternet-related network messages, said telephony-related networkmessages and said internet-related network messages created to enablethe managing, sending and receiving of said user-level messages; saidplurality of second servers coupled to said first-voice server andresponsive to said telephony-related network messages and saidinternet-related network messages, said plurality of second serversinterfacing each other through the telephony-related network messages orthe internet-related network messages executed under control of thecluster-switching and resource-allocation device to at least one ofreceive a first user-level message from and transmit a first user-levelmessage to said electronic device of the first user over at least one ofthe telephone connection and the internet connection, the firstuser-level message received from or sent to said electronic deviceassociated with the first user and using a first network protocol from aplurality of network protocols associated with said at least one of thetelephone connection and the internet connection, the plurality ofsecond servers further comprising: at least one database server forstorage of data relating to the first user for use in performing avoice-enabled task for the first user and a file server coupled to thedatabase server, at least one of the file server and the database serveraccessible to the first user to manage an account including stored dataassociated with the first user including one or more setting options tosend and to receive the user-level messages according to a preference ofthe first user, at least one of said database server and said fileserver accessible to said first-computing capability of saidcluster-switching and resource-allocation device, wherein saidcluster-switching and resource-allocation device processes saidplurality of telephony-related network messages and said plurality ofinternet-related network messages with a capability to reference atleast one of said database server and said file server; and at least oneweb server coupled to the internet-connection interface of thefirst-voice server with a second-computing capability and adapted toprovide access to the first user over the internet connection; and oneor more additional voice servers coupled to the first-voice server inthe cluster of voice servers, at least one of first-voice server and theone or more additional servers further comprising: an interactivespeaker-independent, phoneme-based speech recognition device coupled tothe cluster-switching and resource-allocation device and with acapability to receive a natural speech input at least over the telephoneconnection and to process the received natural speech input usingphoneme-based speech recognition and to initiate execution of avoice-enabled task for the first user, based at least in part on thenatural speech input, the interactive speaker-independent, phoneme-basedspeech recognition device adapted to recognize a plurality of naturalspeech commands and adapted to automatically trigger execution of aplurality of different voice-enabled tasks, each voice-enabled taskcorresponding to at least one specific natural speech command, andadapted to initiate the first user-level message in a manner relating tothe voice-enabled task and a second user-level message, such that thefirst user-level message is transmittable over the telephone connectionand over the internet connection to at least one electronic devicedesignated by the first user, the electronic device being any one of atleast a computer and a mobile device, and the first computing capabilityof said cluster-switching and resource-allocation device adapted tocontrol processing of the second user-level message and to initiatetransmission of the second user-level message at least by the internetconnection to at least one of the mobile device in text format and tothe computer or the mobile device in email format.
 2. Theunified-messaging network according to claim 1, further comprising: thefirst cluster of voice servers interconnected by a voice bus and theplurality of second servers including the file server and the databaseserver interconnected by an internal network accessible by thefirst-voice server having the interactive speaker-independent,phoneme-based speech recognition device.
 3. The unified-messagingnetwork according to claim 1, wherein the voice-enabled task relates toat least a portion of the data stored for the first user in at least oneof the file server and the database server.
 4. The unified-messagingnetwork according to claim 1, wherein the telephony hardware is adaptedto receive an input provided by the first user by a DTMF signal, fromsaid at least one electronic device associated with the first user andwherein the voice-enabled task is executable based at least in part onthe DTMF signal received from said electronic device of the first userin addition to the natural speech input.
 5. The unified-messagingnetwork according to claim 1, wherein the voice-enabled task facilitatesmanagement by the first user of, at least one of a contact, a userprofile, an email, a voicemail, a video, a telephone call, a facsimile,and a text message on at least one of said electronic device, the fileserver, and the database server.
 6. The unified-messaging networkaccording to claim 1, wherein the voice-enabled task uses stored datafor the first user in at least one of the database server and the fileserver to perform for the first user, at least one action from a groupof actions including: a telephone call, an email, a voicemail, a fax, atext message, a conference call, and a video conference.
 7. Theunified-messaging network according to claim 1, wherein the naturalspeech input is received from an electronic communication from the firstuser over an internet connection coupled to at least one of saidfirst-voice server and said additional voice servers, the natural speechinput conveyed using an Internet Protocol (IP) address to identify aninternet location.
 8. The unified-messaging network according to claim1, wherein the first-voice server in the unified-messaging network isconfigured to transmit an electronic message to the electronic device ofsaid first user, via both IP and non-IP transmission protocols over thenetwork.
 9. The unified-messaging network of claim 1, wherein saidelectronic device of the first user further initiates access, by atleast the natural speech input, to a plurality of call-processingfeatures including at least one of: playing voicemail, reading an emailor using text-to-speech to convert and listen to the email over thetelephone, reading a fax, managing a contact, managing a schedule, andsetting options for a plurality of features that execute particularfunctions including sending and receiving messages, faxes, and email,managing stored data, setting the parameters for outgoing calls, andsetting up conferences.
 10. The unified-messaging network according toclaim 9, wherein said computing ability of said web server providesaccess by said electronic device of said first user to a plurality ofwebpages on a website, said website accessible through an internetfirewall and a security program, and at least one of said plurality ofwebpages providing said call-processing features.
 11. Theunified-messaging network according to claim 10, wherein said websiteprovides a single point of access for said first user to access saiduser-level messages through said electronic device of said first user.12. The unified-messaging network according to claim 10, furthercomprising: an additional private telephone connection and an extranetfirewall for certain users to access the web server via said extranetfirewall.
 13. The unified-messaging network of claim 1, wherein theplurality of communication networks includes at least the Internet. 14.The unified-messaging network of claim 1, wherein the plurality ofcommunication networks includes at least a local-area network.
 15. Theunified-messaging network of claim 1, wherein the options are configuredby said electronic device for the first user in response to menu promptsto indicate at least one of a location and a communication device atwhich the first user wants to receive user-level messages.
 16. Theunified-messaging network of claim 1, further comprising a plurality oftelecommunication applications to implement an application programminginterface (API) usable by said telecommunication applications for aplurality of access protocols.
 17. The unified-messaging networkaccording to claim 1, further comprising: a text-to-speech devicecoupled to at least the web server and the first-voice server, whereinduring a session on a website, accessible over the internet connection,said text-to-speech device receives text input relating to said firstuser and co-relates said text input to stored phonemes to create aspeech output delivered to said first user over said electronic deviceof said first user.
 18. The unified-messaging network according to claim17, wherein said text-to-speech device converts said email into a speechoutput for said electronic device to enable a user to listen to saidspeech output over the electronic device.
 19. The unified- messagingnetwork according to claim 1, wherein said email is displayable on saidcomputer and said computer has a capability to accept a user response tosaid email and transmit said user response to one or more user contactswith audio by using an audio attachment.
 20. The unified-messagingnetwork according to claim 1, wherein the preference of the first userincludes selecting incoming calls for at least one of call waiting,transferring or directing through call forwarding, and transmissiondirectly to voice mail messaging.
 21. The unified-messaging networkaccording to claim 1, further comprising: a device adapted to receive auser voicemail over said telephone connection and deliver said voicemailvia streaming audio over said internet connection.
 22. Theunified-messaging network according to claim 1, wherein said naturalspeech input relates to said voice-enabled task and a tag, said tagassociated with contact data stored in said database, said contact dataincluding at least a location for a user.
 23. The unified messagingnetwork according to claim 1, wherein the natural speech input enablesat least one of review, play back, read, reply to and reroute auser-level message received over at least one of said telephoneconnection and said internet connection.
 24. The unified-messagingnetwork according to claim 1, wherein the setting options includesending and receiving said user-level messages including at least one offaxes and email, managing said contact data on said database server,setting up conferences, and setting at least one of a greeting and asecurity code.
 25. A unified-messaging-network method for managing,sending and receiving user-level messages relating to a first user, byusing both telephone and internet connections, over a plurality ofnetworks, comprising: interconnecting a plurality of voice servers in acluster with a voice bus, the plurality of voice servers including afirst-voice server including a cluster-switching and resource-allocationdevice; configuring the first-voice server to receive user input from anelectronic device passed through at least one of a telephone connectionand an internet connection, and to use at least one telephonyapplication for processing user input passed through the telephoneconnection, said at least one telephony application with a firstcapability to identify one or more user events based on the user inputand a second capability to create and to transmit a plurality oftelephony-related network messages to at least one of a plurality ofsecond servers by a first network protocol from a plurality of networkprotocols associated with the one of a plurality of networks and thetelephone connection and to use at least one other application for theuser input passed through the internet connection, the at least oneother application with a third capability to create and to transmit aplurality of internet-related network messages to at least one otherserver of the plurality of second servers by a second network protocolfrom said plurality of network protocols associated with another one ofthe plurality of networks, and to use said cluster-switching andresource-allocation device including a first computing capability toprocess the telephony-related network messages and the internet-relatednetwork messages to enable the managing, sending, and receiving of saiduser-level messages relating to said first user; interconnecting adatabase server with the first-voice server for storage of data relatingto the first user for use in performing a task for the first user;interconnecting a file server with the database server and thefirst-voice server, the file server providing access to the first uservia said electronic device to manage an account associated with thefirst user including setting options for sending and receiving theuser-level messages according to a preference of the first user;interconnecting a web-server with said first-voice server, said databaseserver and said file server and providing access for the first user, sothat the first user can access the network via said electronic deviceusing at least one of a plurality of the internet protocols includinghttp protocol, over the internet connection; and configuring at leastthe first-voice server to include an interactive speaker-independentphoneme-based speech recognition capability, said interactivespeaker-independent phoneme-based speech recognition capability capableof receiving a natural speech input at least by the telephoneconnection, said first-voice server adapted to process the naturalspeech input received based on phoneme-based speech recognition and toinitiate execution of the task for the first user, based at least inpart on the natural speech input, the interactive speaker-independentphoneme-based speech recognition capability adapted to recognize aplurality of natural speech commands and adapted to automaticallytrigger execution of a plurality of different voice-enabled tasks, eachvoice-enabled task corresponding to a specific natural speech command,and to initiate transmission of a second user-level message relating tothe voice-enabled task or the first user-level message to any one of acomputer and a mobile device, the computing capability of saidcluster-switching and resource-allocation device adapted to process thesecond user-level message and to initiate transmission by the internetconnection to at least one of the mobile device in a text format and tothe computer or the mobile device in an email format.
 26. Theunified-messaging-network method according to claim 25, wherein the fileserver and the database server are connected to an internal network. 27.The unified-messaging-network method according to claim 25, wherein thetask relates to at least a portion of the data stored for the first userin at least one of said file server and said database server.
 28. Theunified-messaging-network method according to claim 25, wherein the userinput includes a DTMF signal and wherein the voice-enabled task isexecutable based at least in part on the DTMF signal in addition to thenatural speech input.
 29. The unified-messaging-network method accordingto claim 25, wherein the voice-enabled task facilitates management bythe first user of, at least one of a contact, a user profile, an email,a voicemail, a video, a telephone call, a facsimile, and a text messageon at least one of said electronic device, said file server, and saiddatabase server.
 30. The unified-messaging-network method according toclaim 25, wherein the task uses stored data for the first user in atleast one of the database server and the file server to perform for thefirst user, at least one action from a group of actions including: atelephone call, an email, a voicemail, a fax, a text message, aconference call, and a video conference.
 31. Theunified-messaging-network method according to claim 25, wherein thenatural speech input is received from an electronic communication fromthe user over an internet connection coupled to at least one of saidfirst-voice server and said additional servers, the natural speech inputconveyed using an Internet Protocol (IP) address to identify an internetlocation.
 32. The unified-messaging-network method according to claim25, wherein the first-voice server in the unified network is configuredto transmit an electronic message to the electronic communication ofsaid first user, via both IP and non-IP transmission protocols over thenetwork.
 33. The unified-messaging-network method of claim 25, furthercomprising: making a plurality of call-processing features accessible tothe first user, by at least the natural speech input, including at leastone of: playing voicemail, reading an email or using text-to-speech toconvert and listen to the email over the telephone, reading a fax,managing a contact, managing a schedule, and setting options for aplurality of features that execute particular functions includingsending and receiving messages, faxes, and email, managing stored data,setting the parameters for outgoing calls, and setting up conferences.34. The unified-messaging-network method of claim 25, wherein theplurality of communication networks includes at least the Internet. 35.The unified-messaging-network method of claim 25, wherein the pluralityof communication networks includes at least a local-area network. 36.The unified-messaging-network method of claim 25, wherein the optionsare configured by said electronic device of the first user through menuprompts to specify at least one of a location and a communication deviceat which the first user wants to receive the messages.
 37. Theunified-messaging-network method of claim 25, wherein the at least oneother application implements an application programming interface (API)which is used by the application for a plurality of access protocols.38. A method of unified messaging over a network to process user-levelcommunications over at least one telephone connection and at least oneinternet connection, said user-level communications sent to and receivedfrom a plurality of communication networks using a plurality ofcommunication protocols, comprising: receiving at a first-voice server,user input passed through at least one of a telephone connection and aninternet connection, using a first application of the first-voice serverto identify a user event passed through said telephone connection andusing a second application of the first-voice server to identify a userevent passed through said internet connection, and using a firstcapability of said first application to generate and send a plurality oftelephony-related network messages to at least one of a plurality ofservers coupled to said first-voice server and using a second capabilityof said second application having a second capability to generate andsend a plurality of internet-related network messages to at least oneother server of said plurality of servers; selectively switching amongsaid plurality of servers based on said telephony-related networkmessages and said internet-related network messages to control thetransmission of at least one user-level message and a notificationrelating to the user-level message over at least the internet connectionto at least one user device designated to receive user-level messages;and receiving a natural speech input over said telephone connection andprocessing said natural speech input based on phoneme-based recognitionto initiate execution of a voice-enabled task, said voice-enabled taskgenerating said at least one user-level message and said notificationand initiating transmission of said user-level message in at least oneof a telephony-specific audio format over said telephone connection anda computer-specific audio format over said internet connection and saidnotification in text format over said internet connection to said userdevice.
 39. The method of unified messaging according to claim 38,wherein the natural speech input enables at least one of review, playback, read, reply to, and reroute of a user-level message received overat least one of said telephone connection and said internet connection.40. The method of unified messaging according to claim 38, furthercomprising: providing a plurality of setting options, by which a usercan designate sending and receiving options of said user-level messagesincluding at least one of faxes and email, managing said contact data ona database associated with said voice server, setting up conferences,and setting at least one of a greeting and a security code.
 41. Themethod of unified-messaging according to claim 38, further comprising:coupling a text-to-speech device to said voice server to convert atleast one of said user-level messages including an email into a speechoutput for said electronic device to enable a user to listen to saidspeech output over the electronic device.
 42. The method of unifiedmessaging according to claim 38, further comprising: using a computingability of said web server to provide access by said electronic deviceof said first user to a plurality of webpages on said website, andmaking said website accessible through an internet firewall and asecurity program, and using at least one of said plurality of webpagesto provide a plurality of call-processing features relating to saiduser-level messages.
 43. The method of unified messaging according toclaim 38, wherein said website provides a single point of access forsaid first user to access said user-level messages through saidelectronic device of said first user.
 44. The method of unifiedmessaging according to claim 38, further comprising: providing atext-to-speech device and using said text-to-speech device to convert anemail into a speech output for said electronic device to enable a userto listen to said speech output over the electronic device.